“Being Ginger” Documentary to Show in Troy, NY

“Being Ginger” Documentary to Show in Troy League of Extraordinary Red Heads Hosts Filmmaker Scott Harris

April 2, 6:20 p.m. to 7:40 p.m.
@ The Arts Center of the Capital Region

TROY, N.Y. (03/14/14) — Filmmaker Scott Harris will present his documentary about life as a red head looking for love this April 2 in Troy.

Humorous and heartfelt, “Being Ginger” follows the trials and tribulations that Harris, 33, has endured in the dating world as a red haired American living in Edinburgh, Scotland, “the redhead capital of the world.”

“Having bright orange hair makes you stick out, and when you are a kid the last thing you want is to stick out,” said Harris. “I’m fairly well adjusted now that I’m an adult, but people still say random things to me about my hair all the time, and some of it’s shocking.”

One of Harris’ personal challenges is overcoming a general perception that fair skinned red haired males are less attractive than other types of men. During one of the more outrageous scenes in his film, Harris interviews a young Scottish woman on the street who openly shares her unflattering thoughts about red haired men. “You’re like an orangutan,” says the woman, who has dyed blond hair. “You’re not just ginger, you’re like the joke ginger.”

To attract a woman, she advises him to remove as much of his red hair as possible to “try and limit the ginger to be as ginger-less as possible.” She also recommends he stick to dating red haired women to “keep the genetics together …just keep ginger on ginger and not on other people.” The cavalier exchange is as funny as it is shocking. Harris handles it with calm bemusement on camera.

FILM EXPLORES UNIVERSAL QUEST FOR ACCEPTANCE

Though the movie offers many rarely seen glimpses into the peculiarities of life as a redhead — one of the smallest segments of the human population, at around 2 percent — its true intent is to speak to a universal audience.

“I’ve used dating as a subject in the film because the quest for love is something that everyone can relate to,” Harris said. “It might be more accurate to say that the film is about the quest to be accepted. This is a film for anyone who has ever felt different, for any reason. In my case, it just happens to be the color of my hair that sets me apart, and the way people treat me because of it.”

The 69-minute film will be screened in the black box theater at The Arts Center of the Capital Region, located at 265 River St, in downtown Troy, N.Y. Afterwards, Harris will answer questions from the audience before joining The League of Extraordinary Red Heads for a free after party open to the public, 21 and over, at Lucas Confectionery wine bar, located at 12 Second Street. The post screening party will feature a red wine special and a hard apple cider seasoned with ginger, made by Albany-based Nine Pin Cider Works (“Jonagold Ginger” made by fermenting Jonagold apples with ginger).

TICKETS

Tickets are $10 ($11.34 w/service fee) and can be purchased online at: http://BeingGingerTroyNY.bpt.me or at the Arts Center just prior to the screening. One hundred tickets will be available for the 6:20 p.m. showing.

Harris, an Austin Texas native now living in Scotland, has shown the film at the “Irish Redhead Convention” and “The Redhead Days” in the Netherlands, which are the two largest redheaded gatherings in the world with about 5,000 redheads in attendance. Now on a 30-city tour in the U.S., his film screenings are creating min-gatherings of redheads wherever he goes.

“After spending my whole life as the only ginger I knew, I can’t explain how nice it is to sit down for a drink and swap stories with a bunch of other redheads,” said Harris.

The April 2 screening and after party are hosted by The League of Extraordinary Red Heads, a social club for red haired people and those who love them. Founded in Troy, N.Y. in January 2013, The League of Extraordinary Red Heads attracts about 100 people at its semi-regular gatherings.

“Contrary to urban legend, red heads are definitely not going extinct,” said LoERH Founder Duncan Crary, 35. “And after watching this movie, it’s clear to me that we never will never go extinct, because you can’t help but love gingers and our special brand of humanity.”

NYC PREMIERE

Following the screening in Troy, the film will open for a week long run in New York City at the Quad Cinema at 34 W 13th St., and the film will be available to purchase and download.